


Of Glitter And Gold

by RedOrchid



Series: Shadowhunters: The Ficlet Instruments [7]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Mystery, Underwater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 16:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20474255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedOrchid/pseuds/RedOrchid
Summary: At the bottom of the ocean lies a massive stash of gold. Or so the legend says.





	Of Glitter And Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:** "Underwater Meeting". Painting by Ian Rayer Smith.

At the bottom of the ocean lies a massive stash of gold. Or so the legend says.

Some say it’s the spoils from a ship that sunk long ago, others that it’s a geological phenomenon. For the more fanciful, there are stories about a mythical, underwater city, filled with riches beyond imagination.

Maia’s money is on the human tendency to make a once modest tale grow ten sizes each time it’s retold. She’s not about to let that stop her from accepting a research grant for a dive in the Gulf of Mexico though—even if the guy behind the project totally gives her the creeps.

They’re on their fourth dive when it catches her eye: a glint of gold, too far down to be a shoal of fish. She turns and swims towards it, then hesitates and changes directions when she notices another diver following her. He loses interest once she pulls out her sampling kit and starts scraping vegetation from a nearby rock formation, and Maia breathes a sigh of relief. The feeling that Aldertree and his team has an agenda more sinister than simple greed has grown since they arrived on site, and Maia’s instincts are telling her that helping them find what they’re looking for is not in anyone’s best interest.

She sneaks out and returns alone. The gold gleams through the cracks of what looks to be a cave, growing stronger as Maia swims closer. 

She squeezes through a narrow passage and then stops, stunned. 

In front of her is a cave, and the floor of it is _ glowing_, beams of light filtering through the sand. 

She starts to dig, enthralled by the way the gold seems to _ pulse _ as she gets closer to it.

It’s a sword. With a blade that looks like molten gold, shining impossibly bright. She reaches out to touch it when, suddenly, someone grabs her and spins her around.

_ Impossible_, her mind protests. In front of her is a child of eight or nine years old, dark skin and hair like hers, and what is unmistakably a set of _ gills _ on either side of her throat.

The child glares at her, then waves her hand. The sand on the bottom of the cave flows towards the centre, covering the sword again. She opens her mouth, and an eerie scream fills the room. Seconds later, more creatures appear: a green-skinned man with horns, a blue-skinned woman with lion-like features. And last, a man with cat-like eyes of gold, who swims up to her and takes her face between his hands.

_ You’re pure of heart_, Maia hears inside her head. _ Evil seeks the sword; if we let you live, will you protect our secret? _

_ Yes_, Maia replies immediately, and the man smiles. He whispers words in a language Maia doesn’t know, and the world grows dark.

She wakes up on the deck of her boat, a smile on her lips.

_ Protect our secret_, the man’s voice echoes.

Maia will.


End file.
